I have traveled to all 50 states sampling America's BEST micro-brews. I am a musician, dog musher, and author. I am in the process of getting a book about all of this published, so stay tuned or drop me a line at musherjoey@gmail.com if my story catches your eye!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Hard Cider!!!

The competition was a success! The two beers I entered ranked between 21-27 out of 50. Beers in between 20-30 are ranked as "good" but I knew that what I was going to get out of the competition was some advice. Due to warm temperatures, I can keep my house at around 74F on a good day. This is the higher end of fermenting temps for what I make, and after talking to some judges, I learned that a lower mash temp and fermenting temp will give my beer more body. This was the case with some of the beers entered, so it was a great opportunity for me to learn something! Like most things in life, you think you have figured it out, and then several doors open. This is what the beer world is to me.
I think back on my beerventures and wish that I had been brewing so that I could get more of the technical side out of the breweries. I would be able to understand yeast strains, hop varieties, and malt combinations much more. But that's the way it goes. I guarantee I wouldn't have homebrewed like I do know had it not been for those travels. I look at my brewing sessions very methodically. I get excited to sterilize and control my experiment the best I can. The power of my knowledge increases, but I want to remain a sponge as I interact with professional brewers and amateur brewers so that I can have unbiased approach to learning. Because it's beer, it generally is at least acceptable if it has alcohol content. I mean, people drink Budweiser and Coors all day and I hesitate to have them try an Oberon or an Old Scratch Lager. I want to appreciate the process in which these larger breweries brew. I have to hand it to the big boys because they are consistent all across the country, and that's what the people want. I know that I can't make the same batch twice with my current set up, there are too many variables like controlled temp and dog hair. I strive for this though, I want to be able to work on a system that produces identical results time after time. I am on the cusp of this however, but I'll remain cryptic until my next post, which should bring all of my blog posts together in harmony.
Erin and I brewed hard cider yesterday. We took the approach of bottled additive free apple juice, naturally it was organic. We made two gallons, and heated it up to 155F and added 2lbs. of brown sugar to up the ABV. We also added clove, star anise, and ginger to give it a nice fall feel. Before adding sugar, the specific grvity was 1.04, and right before we sealed it up to ferment we got it up to a powerful 1.10! This means that our final ABV will be between 10-12%. This is the highest gravity blend I have made yet, but I'm hopeful it will be a nice sipping cider that we can have well into the holidays...if it lasts!
SO the projected book release date will still be around Christmas, though I have vigorously been procrastinating the new direction I am taking with it. I think that writing it travel log style will accent my personality much more, as well as make for a fun read to beer and travel enthusiasts. I have really enjoyed recounting my past two years, it really makes me laugh when I put myself in that curious state of mind as I left Alaska and was yet to meet Erin and travel up the east coast. I have been lucky, but I must admit it's really hard not having the money I made in Alaska. I'm glad I learned how to be resourceful long ago, otherwise I'd be up a creek right now. I have been very hard working and patient while I wait for the future to unfold. I am in the midst of something great though, whatever it may lead to. I have been writing, singing, canning lots of veggies, and brewing up a storm with the woman I love, and to me there is no greater feeling.
My parents have settled into their new home south of Cary, NC, and it's only a matter of time until we all go down for a housewarming party. My Aunt and Uncle will soon be visiting and I look forward to the company, as I'm sure my parents do too. I'm glad I got to see y relatives while I was traveling across the United States, it'll be a shock to us all when they see me living a somewhat stationary lifestyle. It has been six years since I've been in one place for this long, but I think I've done a pretty good job making Burlington my new home. Erin and I have made a lot of new friends that are solid characters. They have helped us network and find our groove in North Carolina, and for that we are grateful.
I leave you today with the lyrics of my newest creation, the Homebrew Song, enjoy!

Grab the barley, grab the grains,
pick your hops and a good yeast strain.
Heat that mash, turn it into wort,
ferment that beer for a week or more.

Listen to the bubbles peculate,
it's time to bottle, let me demonstrate;
pour twelve ounces and cap it off tight,
hide it far away and outta the light cuz,

We're homebrewing tonight,
we're homebrewing tonight.

It can be light, bitter, dark, or sweet,
pilsner, porter, lager, brown ale, and wheat.
It comes from the fruits of the vines from across the country,
noble, nugget, fuggles, tomahawk, and victory.